“When Lights Are Low” was one of the few tunes recorded by Miles Davis and his quartet in 1953 that received proper songwriting credit, attributed to New Orleans pianist Spencer Williams and arranger Benny Carter.
Read More
J.J. Johnson’s admiration for Miles Davis was present throughout the album We’ll Be Together Again, recorded with guitarist Joe Pass, which features this version of “Solar” alongside a version of “Nature Boy” in similar fashion to the trumpeter’s own landmark arrangement.
Read More
J.J. Johnson furthered the pursuit of melodic thinking by eliminating Joe Pass’ guitar accompaniment and modeling his trombone playing after the cool styling of Miles Davis.
Read More
Sonny Stitt is credited as the composer of “Bud’s Blues” on their 1951 collaboration, but it is unclear as to who actually came up with the tune. Perhaps it was Stitt’s intent to simply pay tribute to Bud Powell’s struggles outside of the music scene, which included incarceration, institutionalization, and addiction - the pillars of systemic racism established by white supremacy.
Read More
Originally written in 1927 by George & Ira Gershwin for the musical Funny Face, the song “How Long Has This Been Going On?” had been cut and repurposed the following year for the show Rosalie before also being cut from its film adaptation.
Read More
Joe Pass and J.J. Johnson attempt to play “Limehoues Blues” with a slow blues feel, shuffling along and trading phrases until someone plays too many notes and blows the form - like at any typical blues jam.
Read More
The global sensation that became known as bossa nova is credited to Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, who combined native samba rhythms with the European classical guitar, but historians point to a 1961 American state-sponsored festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the moment when prominent jazz figures were first exposed to the new beat.
Read More
Perhaps the most significant aspect to this recording is J.J Johnson’s performance as a rhythmic accompaniment to the dexterous Joe Pass.
Read More
The contributions of Native voices in American popular music was not widely recognized until the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and indigenous folk songs, hymns, and marches had already been utilized by European composers and banned by the American government for nearly a century prior to Carl T. Fisher’s 1945 composition.
Read More
Brazilian composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ancestral influence included the Indigenous samba rhythms and the regional music of Portugal inspired by French Impressionist composers, Spanish classical guitar, and North African traditions.
Read More